THE JUDGMENT OF PETER BRACEGIRDLE

Peter Bracegirdle played by Hobbitness
All Valiër played by Wraith
All Valar played by Wraith

Manwe: *In the Blessed Realm all the Valar are gathered in the dread circle of doom*
Manwe: *The fea, the soul, of Peter Bracegirdle, stands in the middle of the circle.... as all 14 Valar and many Maiar gaze upon him*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter looks back on them with terror, but he trusts them more than he trusts the forces of Mordor*
Manwe: *Manwe says* Upon what charges has this Hobbit been brought to the circle of doom?
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter thrills at being called a hobbit*
Vaire: *Vaire the Weaver says* he was once a hobbit... but he was stabbed with a morgul blade and became a servant of sauron the faithless and accursed
Manwe: Then his crimes are dire and heavy, O Vaire, Keeper of the Tapestries of Life
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter now appears as a hobbit, a short boy with curly brown hair and dark expressive eyes that are now wide with fear*
Vaire: he did not serve sauron willingly.... but he served him nevertheless.
Peter Bracegirdle: *He wears the black breeches, white shirt and burgundy vest he received from Frodo that fateful day*
Manwe: *All the Valar listen to hear the next words of Manwe.... keeper of the Winds*
Manwe: *And King of the Heavens.... and first in the heart of Eru*
Manwe: *He says... his voice ringing with the sound of lightning and thunder* I must take take counsel with Eru
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter kneels and shields his face with an upraised arm*
Manwe: *Clad in blue, he sits upon his throne.... his vissage grave in contemplation*
Nienna: *nienna the weeper begins to cry in pity for peter bracegirdle*
Peter Bracegirdle: *He uncovers his face* My grave lord Manwe...
Peter Bracegirdle: ...I did all I could to fight them even after I was stabbed
Peter Bracegirdle: and I ran away from them in the end
Peter Bracegirdle: The Lord of the Nazgul killed me for rebelling
Peter Bracegirdle: I was not one of them!
Peter Bracegirdle: Always I wished to return to the Shire
Manwe: *He ceases his contemplation*
Manwe: What say you, Vaire, the keeper of the tapestry of his life?
The Valier of Valinor *vaire says* the threads of his tapestry are mostly good.... but there at the end they were black with the taint of evil
The Valier of Valinor: but the white threads of purity were intermixed even with the darkness
Manwe: Then Vaire, Keeper of the Tapestry of Peter Bracegirdle's life, was there more good than evil in all the threads?
Peter Bracegirdle: *looks at them hopefully, not daring to breathe*
The Valier of Valinor *Varda says* Always did he call upon me in times of trouble
Manwe: *Manwe speaks again*
Manwe: Were you, Peter Bracegirdle, a friend of the elves?
Peter Bracegirdle: Well, my lord...*stammers* I didn't see any elves when I was alive...
Peter Bracegirdle: ...but I always wanted to
Peter Bracegirdle: I loved the Elvish verses I learned from Frodo and Bilbo
Manwe: What say you, Vaire?
The Valier of Valinor: *vaire says* the tapestry of his life is mostly one of gardens and the beauty of yavanna shown in the flora of the shire....
The Valier of Valinor: only at the end did it become dark with the evils that have tortured arda for so long, but it was never by his own doing that he became a thrall.
Peter Bracegirdle: I called on Elbereth even when it brought me pain as a wraith
Manwe: *Manwe talks to Mandos... the most dread of all*
Peter Bracegirdle: I hated Mordor. *His voice rises with passion* How I hate them!
The Valier of Valinor: *Varda says* yes, that he did... he always called upon me in times of need. *nienna cries for peters case...*
Manwe: *Mandos says* His deeds were mingled with both good and ill
Manwe: He must try his heart to see what is there
Manwe: *Manwe looks Peter in the eye and studies him*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter looks back steadily*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Hoping his true heart will show through his eyes*
The Valier of Valinor: *nienna cries more for peters case* manwe and mandos my lords... i beg of thee to have mercy upon him
Manwe: *Manwe is moved by the words of Nienna*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter feels immense gratitude to her*
Manwe: *Always Nienna is most sympathetic to the plight of the mortals*
The Valier of Valinor: *...as well as errant spirits*
Manwe: *Mandos says* But yet there is evil in him still.....
Peter Bracegirdle: No, my lord!
The Valier of Valinor: *nienna cries even more....* still we should have mercy upon him
Peter Bracegirdle: Or if there is evil I am not aware of, I desire to be purged of it!
The Valier of Valinor: for was he not good to begin?
Manwe: *Mandos says* But still, the evil must be removed!
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter trembles*
Manwe: *Mandos says* Before he can go and meet Eru, he must spend one age in my halls!
The Valier of Valinor: *nienna* nay my lord! not so long... for he meant well in all he did.
The Valier of Valinor: he was but a thrall, and not of his own accord.
Peter Bracegirdle: *He drops his head. All energy drains out of him*
Manwe: *Mandos is adamant*
Peter Bracegirdle: *His shoulders slump*
Manwe: *Mandos says* But yet one age will it take to remove all evil from him!
The Valier of Valinor: *her eyes prepetually red from crying become even more puffy with tears*
The Valier of Valinor: but so long, my lord?
Peter Bracegirdle: *looks at Manwe with tears in his eyes* My lord, what is the evil? A whole age! I must wait a whole age to see my beloved Mary? For what? I did not want to go with them!
The Valier of Valinor: *varda says* he revered me in life, and even in the state that came after.
Manwe: *Manwe ponders the words of them all and remembers what Eru had already told him, yet he is silent for a while before he gives the final pronouncement of doom*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter turns his eyes to the dazzling Varda with reverence, hoping she will help him*
The Valier of Valinor: *vaire says* still most of the threads were good my lord
The Valier of Valinor: *varda communes with manwe in thought.... for the sake of peter bracegirdle... taking in account the words of nienna*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter begins to hum an Elvish song he knows well*
The Valier of Valinor: *varda says* he called upon my name and i heard him from the mountain of traquintil... he called even in the darkest pit of mordor though it brought him much pain
Peter Bracegirdle: *Though here at journey's end I lie, in darkness buried deep, beyond all towers strong and high, beyond all mountains steep...*
Manwe: *Manwe is saddened at her words*
Peter Bracegirdle: *he begins to sing aloud softly*
Peter Bracegirdle: Above all shadows rides the sun and stars forever dwell
Peter Bracegirdle: I will not say the day is done, nor bid the stars farewell
Manwe: *Manwe now speaks with thunder and lightning in his words!*
Manwe: DO YOU, PETER, SON OF RUDIGAR, RENOUNCE MORDOR AND ALL OF ITS EVILS!
Peter Bracegirdle: Yes, yes, my lord, with all my heart!
The Valier of Valinor: *yavanna thinks.... as a hobbit he loved my flowers*
Peter Bracegirdle: I have longed to renounce it always
Manwe: PETER, SON OF RUDIGAR, THE VALIER HAVE PLED FOR YOUR CAUSE
Manwe: YET MANDOS IS FIRM...
Manwe: HE FEELS YOU NEED PURIFICATION OF THE EVIL THAT TAINTS YOU
Manwe: DO YOU, PETER, SON OF RUDIGAR, RENOUNCE SAURON AND MELKOR FOR ALL ETERNITY?
Peter Bracegirdle: Yes!
Manwe: *Mandos says grimly* But yet.... it is the law of Eru that he must wait in my halls so that he may reflect
Manwe: *Mandos says* The only question is.... how long a period will it be?
The Valier of Valinor: *the female valar talk to each other in hushed voices..*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Tears begin to streak his face* Please my lord...let me see them, let me see my dear ones when they come
The Valier of Valinor: *nienna cries more for peters behalf* not a long time my lord!
Manwe: *Manwe speaks... as the thunder and lightning crash around his throne*
Manwe: YE SHALL NOT GO TO THE VOID, PETER, SON OF RUDIGAR!
Manwe: FOR YOUR CRIMES, THOUGH THEY WERE MANY, WERE NOT DONE IN YOUR WILL
Peter Bracegirdle: *sighs with relief as fresh tears course down his face*
Manwe: YOU, PETER, DID ALL THAT YOU DID BECAUSE YOU COULD DO NO LESS. YOU WERE A THRALL OF THE ONE KNOWN AS THE ABHORRED
Peter Bracegirdle: *nods, feeling the raw wounds in his soul anew*
The Valier of Valinor: *hisses and talk of displeasure among the valier at the sound of the name of sauron*
Manwe: *The Valar shake their heads and their faces frown at the mention of the one that was once brother to them*
Manwe: *Manwe Speaks* I NOW PRONOUNCE MY JUDGMENT
Peter Bracegirdle: *raises his head, shaking*
Manwe: YOU, PETER, WILL SPEND HALF AN AGE IN THE HALLS OF MANDOS.... THEN YOU WILL GO TO ERU WHERE YOU WILL SEE YOUR MARY AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Peter Bracegirdle: *bursts into tears of joy*
Manwe: I HAVE SPOKEN. THIS IS MY FINAL WORD. GO NOW TO MANDOS, PETER SON OF RUDIGAR
Peter Bracegirdle: *He thought it was not possible*
The Valier of Valinor: *nienna sighs in relief... drying her tear-swollen eyes*
The Valier of Valinor: *varda smiles at peter and sends the light of the stars upon him*
Peter Bracegirdle: *He cannot speak; his relief wells up in him with passionate sobs*
Peter Bracegirdle: *but he dries his tears at the starlight from Varda*
The Valier of Valinor: *yavanna touches his face with the perfume of flowers in spring.... more wonderous even than the flowers of elves*
Peter Bracegirdle: *as he sees before him the unseen hope he has trusted in for so long*
Manwe: *All Valar bend their heads in benediction upon Peter*
Peter Bracegirdle: *Peter looks gratefully to the Valar, happy beyond the words of men or Elves to describe*
The Valier of Valinor: *the remainder of the valier do likewise*
Peter Bracegirdle: *He touches his head to the floor in reverent gratitude*
The Valier of Valinor: *they talk among themselves... he was always loyal and faithful to us, even when it cost him greatly*
Peter Bracegirdle: *He does not fear Mandos at all, for he knows who now holds his fate*
Manwe: *Manwe says this final word* Go in peace, Peter, son of Rudigar.
Peter Bracegirdle: Thank you my lord...thank you...thank you!!
Manwe: *Mandos says under his breath....* I have waited for him a long, long time.

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